Mario | Video Game History Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Video Game History Wiki Super Mario Smash Brothers Mario is a video game character created by Shigeru Miyamoto. He is Nintendo's mascot and the most famous video game character of all time. The Mario series has over 200 video games and have sold over 200 million copies making the Mario series the best selling video game franchise of all time. Starting from the arcade game Donkey Kong, Mario has gone on to be well known throughout the world and has starred in almost every video game genre from, platformer, role playing, sports, geography, history, fighting and racing games. He was created by Shigeru Miyamoto to boost Nintendo to the top of the video game industry. Contents Edit When Nintendo was working on Miyamoto's game, Donkey Kong Miyamoto had to create a character to play with. So after coming up with the idea of a carpenter so that people could recognize who he is. Mario's clothes were made the way they are now because of limitations of the Donkey Kong game. Miyamoto gave Mario a mustache because he couldn't draw a mouth. He gave Mario a big nose so that he would appear human.

He then gave Mario a hat because he didn't want to draw hair. The overalls were given as Mario's clothing so his arms could be seen swinging back and forth when walking. Later Miyamoto decided to change Mario's occupation to a plumber because of his overalls and showed this in the arcade game Mario Bros., and the setting being in the sewers. Before Mario Bros. Nintendo wanted to give Mario a better name then Jumpman. So they decided to name him Mario after Nintendo of America's Italian landlord Mario Segale for their similar appearances. History in Games Edit Mario in his first game trying to rescue Pauline from the ape, Donkey Kong. Mario first appeared in the arcade game Donkey Kong which becomes the second best selling arcade game of all time. The ape Donkey Kong had kidnappped Mario's girlfriend, Pauline and took her to the top of a construction site. Mario had to climb the large structure to try and rescue Pauline. Donkey Kong threw barrels and other objects down the girders to try and stop the carpenter. Every time Mario got to the top, Donkey Kong took Pauline higher up of the place.

Eventually Mario was able to make the girders that Donkey Kong stood on come down and he fell and got knocked unconscious. Mario took Pauline with him and they finished their date. Big Ape's Son Edit Donkey Kong Jr. trying to rescue his father Donkey Kong from Mario. Mario later took Donkey Kong to a jungle and put him in a cage for revenge for kidnapping Pauline. Donkey Kong Jr., DK's son tries to rescue his father and is the only playable character. DK Jr. climbs vines and platforms to tries to grab the keys to the cage. Mario sends enemies to attack Jr. Jr. retaliates by dropping fruits on the enemies. Every time Jr. unlocked DK's cage Mario would take him to another location. Eventually DK Jr. rescues his father from the cage and Mario leaves the two where they are. As a Plumber Edit Mario in the sewers of New York City getting rid of the strange creatures. Mario's occupation is later changed from a carpenter to a plumber. He is joined by another plumber, his brother Luigi to help kill the strange creatures in the sewers of New York City.

Mario and Luigi kill many Shellcreepers , Sidesteppers, and Fighter Flies, and go further into the sewers. Eventually the brothers go into a pipe leading them to a parallel universe. Saving the Mushroom Kingdom Edit Mario traversing through the Mushroom Kingdom. In Super Mario Bros. Mario and Luigi arrive in a new land called the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario finds out that the land has been attacked by Koopas. The King of Koopas, Bowser has used black magic to turn the kingdom's citizens into different objects such as brick blocks or ? blocks. Mario heads across the kingdom to save Princess Peach Toadstool who was kidnapped by Bowser because she can stop the black magic. Mario and Luigi can use Super Mushrooms to become bigger and use Fire Flowers to shoot fireballs. Mario goes through the land and defeats the False Bowsers in each castle saving the Mushroom Retainers. Mario finally arrives at the last castle and faces the real Bowser in battle. He is defeated the same way by using the axe to cut the bridge knocking him into lava sending him to a fiery death. Mario then frees the princess. In the original Super Mario Bros. 2 the story, graphics and gameplay are the same.

Somethings are different like Poison Mushrooms and wind and Bloopers swimming in the sky. In Subcon Edit Mario had a dream of walking up a staircase. He opened the door at the top and saw a large land before him. A voice spoke to him and said it is Subcon, the land of dreams. The voice told Mario to stop the evil Wart. Mario woke up in the middle of the night wandering of this strange dream. While on a picnic with his friends Mario and friends went into a cave and appeared in the land Mario spoke of. They went on the adventure to stop Wart. When they freed the people of Subcon Mario awoke from his dream wondering if it had ever happened. Saving the Mushroom World Edit Bowser has sent his army led by his Koopalings to take over the seven kingdoms of the Mushroom World. Each Koopaling has stolen a king's wand and transformed him into an animal. Mario must restore peace to the lands and defeat the Koopalings. While going through all the lands Bowser uses this time to kidnap Princess Peach. Mario recieves the info from a letter sent by Bowser. Mario travels through Dark Land defeating the Koopa Army to reach Bowser's Castle and save the Princess.

Super Mario Sunshine Edit In Super Mario Sunshine , Mario's goal is to stop Bowser once again. Mario and his friends arrive on an airplane to Isle Delfino. Mario now has the ability to use something called a water pump and shoot beams of water at his enemies of water plants needed to get him to the next point of his adventure. Through most of the adventure, Mario is swimming his way through obstacles. Mario eventually encounters Bowser and thus fights him again. Mario Party! Edit There are nine Mario Party! games. They are all based on the traditional Nintendo characters partying for no apparent reason. The gameplay of the series revolves around the characters moving on a the board of a board game and completing mini-games to reach their objectives. The games are traditionally multiplayer. Jay Garmon [dot] Net: What was Super Mario's original name and occupation? (Hint: He wasn't a plumber) The personal blog of Jay Garmon: professional geek, Web entrepreneur, and occasional science fiction writer. Wednesday, September 22, 2010 What was Super Mario's original name and occupation?

(Hint: He wasn't a plumber) Image via Wikipedia I'm totally hosed with work, so I'm copping out again and recycling a Geek Trivia column rather than writing a new Truly Trivial . Luckily, Nintendo was founded 121 years ago this week, so I've got an easy topic to milk. See below. Mario first appeared as the ladder-climbing, barrel-dodging, gorilla-enraging protagonist of Donkey Kong, which made its arcade debut in 1981. ... It wasn't until 1983 that Mario would rate his own name on the game marquee, when he enjoyed three title releases: Mario's Cement Factory, Mario's Bombs Away, and Mario Bros. The latter introduced the world to Mario's brother, Luigi. (It was also the first time Mario squared off against evil turtles.) ...In an industry where an ever-increasing number of complex and hyper-real — and in some cases, hyper-violent — characters and concepts grab headlines and zeitgeist, it's nice to think that a simple Italian plumber named Mario still carries a lot of weight with avid game consumers.

Of course, this world-famous character has come a long way from his humble roots — when his name wasn't Mario, and his gorilla-free day job was something besides a plumber. WHAT WAS THE ORIGINAL NAME OF THE NINTENDO VIDEO-GAME CHARACTER MARIO, AND WHAT WAS HIS OCCUPATION? Super Mario Bros: 25 Mario facts for the 25th anniversary | Technology | The Guardian Games blog Super Mario Bros: 25 Mario facts for the 25th anniversary Super Mario Bros is 25 today, so here's a selection of facts and figures on the world's greatest platform hero… 25 today … Mario with pals Wario, Yoshi and Luigi Monday 13 September 2010 08.56 EDT First published on Monday 13 September 2010 08.56 EDT Share on Messenger Close It's the biggest game series of all time, and Super Mario is 25 years-old today. To celebrate, we've jammed together 25 snippets of Mario trivia. Don a pair of blue dungarees and adopt an inaccurate Italian accent, it's Mario time! 1.

Mario was created by Shigeru Miyamoto and appeared in the game designer's first ever title, the 1981 arcade platformer, Donkey Kong. Miyamoto was hired as a graphic artist by Nintendo in 1977, and was given the task of designing a game after several of the company's early coin-ops had failed to make an impression on the lucrative arcade market. Donkey Kong was created using the hardware behind an older arcade title named Radar Scope, which sunk without a trace in the US. Miyamoto ditched the shooting theme and added an ape and rolling barrels. Success naturally followed. 2. Mario was originally known as Jumpman. However, when Nintendo's US office were trying to think of a better name in time for the American release of the game, they were interrupted by their landlord Mario Segale, after whom they christened the character. 3. Mario was originally a carpenter, not a plumber. He's also appeared as a doctor in the 1990 puzzle title Dr Mario and its sequels. 4. The look of Mario is all about the graphical limitations of the hardware at the time.

He has a hat, because realistic hair was difficult to portray, a moustache to accentuate his nose, and dungarees to make his arm movements more noticeable. In Super Mario Bros, he wears a brown shirt below his overalls – a look that was swiftly abandoned. 5. Donkey Kong Jr, the 1982 sequel to Donkey Kong, is the only game in which Mario officially stars as the antagonist. He has trapped poor Donkey Kong in a cage and the ape's son must rescue him. In the game's promotional material, Mario even gets a specially twirled moustache, highlighting his evil nature. 6. In contrast, Bowser, the key antagonist of the Super Mario Bros series, has also appeared as a good guy. He helps Mario in the 1996 title Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. 7. Super Mario Bros was preceded by the 1983 arcade platformer, Mario Bros. Designed by Miyamoto and Game Boy-creator Gunpei Yokoi, it's set in the New York sewer system and introduces Mario's brother Luigi. 8.

Bowser was originally sketched as an ox by Miyamoto, but his drawings were misinterpreted by animator Yoichi Kotabe as a turtle. The duo worked together on the latter idea and the Bowser we know today was born. He's definitely a turtle, though, and not a dragon as some assume. (More here .) 9. The naughty version of Mario – Wario – first appeared as a nemesis in the Game Boy title, Super Mario Land 2. He was designed by Hiroji Kiyotake, who also created Samus Aran, the heroine of the Metroid series. Wario's name blends Mario with the Japanese adjective 'warui' meaning evil. 10. The first Super Mario Bros game has sold 40.24 million copies, although that figure is skewed by the fact that it was bundled with the Nintendo Entertainment System console. It was until recently, however, considered the best-selling game of all time. It has been pushed into second place by Wii Sports on 41.65 million units. 11. Super Mario Bros was the first game to be set in Mushroom World, Miyamoto's long-running and ever-evolving fantasy kingdom.

When Mario 'eats' a super mushroom he grows in size and ability. Miyamoto denies that he was influenced by Alice in Wonderland, and instead claims the idea came from enchanted foodstuffs in myths and folklore. 12. In the 1984 Nintendo Entertainment System game Golf, Mario made his first appearance in a sports sim. Kind of. The original character merely resembled Mario, while the later NES Open Tournament Golf specifically featured Mario as a golfer. He appears on the cover in red and white striped overalls, with a blue starry shirt. An awesome outfit. 13. Nintendo composer Koji Kondo provided the iconic soundtrack to Super Mario Bros. The main theme, known as 'Ground Theme', is one of the most recognisable pieces of game music ever recorded. The tune remained in the Billboard ringtone charts for 125 weeks and has been performed in concert by live orchestras. (More here .) 14. The original Super Mario Bros 2 was designed as a tougher version of the first game and released to support the Famicom Disk System, a new add-on for the Japanese version of the Nintendo Entertainment System.

It was considered too difficult for Western release, though, so the US and Europe got a tweaked version of the 1987 title Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic instead. The game was hastily refitted with Mario characters in a sort of digital cut-and-shut job. In 1993, the genuine SMB2 was finally released in the West as Super Mario Bros: the Lost Levels, part of the Super Mario All-Stars collection. 15. A Q Score survey in the early nineties revealed that Mario was more recognisable to American children than Mickey Mouse. 16. Footage from Super Mario Bros 3 appears in the climatic scene of appalling 1989 movie, The Wizard, about an emotionally withdrawn gaming champion. As this was the first chance that US Nintendo fanatics would get to see the game, the movie effectively acted as an advert for the release. 17. The new Chain Chomp enemies in Super Mario Bros 3 look like steel black balls with razor sharp teeth. They were inspired by an incident in Miyamoto's childhood when a neighbour's dog chased the terrified genius, before it was yanked back by its chain. 18.

Elsewhere, the Whomp characters from Super Mario 64 were inspired by a mythological being known as the nurikabe, a 'wall ghost' that misdirects or impedes travellers at night. 19. ...and the versions of the ghostly Boo enemies found in Super Mario 64, are based on the wife of the game's co-designer Takashi Tezuka. As Miyamoto explained in an interview with Nintendo Power magazine: "Mr. Tezuka got an idea about putting his wife in the game. His wife is very quiet normally, but one day she exploded, maddened by all the time he spent at work. In the game, there is now a character who shrinks when Mario looks at it, but when Mario turns away, it will grow large and menacing." 20. Released in 1989, the Game Boy title Super Mario Land was the first major Mario game to be developed without Miyamoto. Producer Gunpei Yokoi didn't do too badly however: the game shifted over 18 million copies. The game also introduces a new female character, Princess Daisy, replacing Mario's usual love interest, Princess Peach. 21.

The 1993 movie, Super Mario Bros, was Hollywood's first attempt to create a video game tie-in. Starring Bob Hoskins and Dennis Hopper it was a critical and commercial failure, which conspired to give the game a darker, more adult veneer. Apparently, Dustin Hoffman was interested in the role of Mario as his children were fans of the game. 22. Since 1995, the voice of Mario has been provided by American voice actor Charles Martinet. He also voices Wario and Luigi. 23. The Wii hit Super Mario Galaxy was inspired by a tech demo known as Super Mario 128 shown at the Nintendo Space World event in 2000. The demo showed dozens of teeny Marios walking around on a slightly curved surface. During the Gamecube era Galaxy designer Yoshiaki Koizumi thought that entirely spherical levels would make an interesting environment for Mario, but Miyamoto was apparently unconvinced at first. Finally, Koizumi showed off several test levels and the project was greenlit for Wii. 24. The Super Mario bros series is in the Guinness Book of Records as the most successful gaming franchise of all time.

It now boasts global sales of over 240 million units. 25. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games. A Video Game Legend: The Evolution of Mario | NOUPE A Video Game Legend: The Evolution of Mario 22 July 17th, 2012 Kevin Muldoon Inspiration , Showcases 11 There aren’t many video game characters that are in the consciousness of the general public, however Mario certainly has made great strides in this area. It’s rare to meet someone who has not heard of the Italian plumber named Mario, but those who don’t play video games often may be unaware of his humble beginnings. Mario was not the main character in his first video game appearance. You may be surprised to know that he wasn’t a plumber, and his name wasn’t Mario either. He made his first appearance in the 1981 pioneering Nintendo arcade game Donkey Kong. Mario’s character was called ‘Jumpman’ and he was a carpenter rather than a plumber. ‘Jumpman’ had to jump over barrels that were being thrown by Donkey Kong in order to save a damsel in distress (which would later be called Princess).

Since those small beginnings, Mario has come a long way. Over the last 30 years Mario has appeared in more than 200 video games and has been referenced in hundreds more Nintendo and non-Nintendo titles. Today we’d like to show you the changes Mario has went through since his humble beginnings over 30 years ago. The Evolution of Mario 1. Donkey Kong (Arcade) – 1981 Who would have thought that ‘Jumpman’ would go from being a minor character in this game, to being the most successful character in video game history? Even in Mario’s first appearance, most of his trademark looks were there. Including the red hat, tradesman jumpsuit and famous Italian moustache. 2. Donkey Kong (Game & Watch) – 1982 Before Nintendo ruled the world of portable gaming with the Nintendo Gameboy, they had a lot of success with their ‘Game & Watch’ range of handheld games. Mario’s second appearance was in the port of the popular arcade game that was released the year before. Game & Watch games had a fixed background which allowed the user to take Mario from the bottom screen to the top.

Mario is almost recognizable in the game though this has more to do with the limitations of the Game & Watch system. Photo Credit 3. Donkey Kong Jr (Arcade) – 1982 Mario returned in the follow up to Donkey Kong in 1982. The Jumpman moniker was replaced with Mario for this game. Graphics were slightly improved this time around, and Mario was noticeably larger in comparison to Donkey Kong and the background. Apart from his size, the Mario sprite hadn’t really changed in any way. 4. Mario Bros. (Arcade) – 1983 The simple yet addictive Mario Bros was the first game of which Mario was the star. Of course, he had to share the limelight with his brother Luigi, a new character that used green clothing where Mario used red (though they were identical apart from that). Mario himself had changed slightly since his last venture, most notably his nose was a little less protruded. 5. Mario’s Cement Factory (Game & Watch) – 1983 Mario’s Cement Factory was the first Game & Watch game to have Mario as the star. Mario himself was unchanged since his last appearance in the handheld environment. Photo Credit 6.

Pinball (NES) – 1984 Mario was frequently used on the cover of NES games, even when he had very little to do with the actual game. In Pinball, Mario was used on the front cover of the game though his appearance in the game was limited to the bonus stage. 7. Super Mario Bros. (NES) – 1985 The game that defined Mario and created a video game mega star. Mario initially started the game small however by taking a mushroom he would grow to double the size. This essentially gave you an extra life as when you were hurt as large Mario you simply reverted back to small Mario. Players could also change into fire Mario by collecting the fire flower. In addition to making Mario bigger, this power up also allowed him to kill enemies using fireballs. 8. Golf (NES) – 1985 Golf was a simple golf game that was highly playable. It was pioneering in many ways as it introduced the power and accuracy bar that has been used in most golf games since. In the game, Mario resembled a fat middle aged man with a big nose. The design of Mario was bizarre to say the least. 9.

Wrecking Crew (NES) – 1985 In Wrecking Crew, Mario donned a safety helmet and a sledgehammer. His skin color was slightly different from other games, though the actual design of Mario wasn’t too different from Super Mario Bros. 10. Super Mario Bros. (Game & Watch) – 1986 Super Mario Bros was brought to Game & Watch in 1986. This time the character looked more like Mario from its console namesake. 11. Mario Bros. II (Commodore 64) – 1987 The sequel to the original Mario Bros was only released on the Commodore 64 and bore little resemblance to the original game. Due to the Commodore 64 being less powerful than the NES, Mario & Luigi were not as defined as in their console games. 12. Punch-Out!! (NES) – 1987 Little Mac was the star of the popular game Punch Out though Mario was still able to play a part as the referee. Like Golf, Mario looked a little more human in the game. His stomach was fairly big again too! 13. Super Mario Bros.

2 (NES) – 1988 After Nintendo decided that the sequel to Super Mario Bros that was released in Japan was too difficult for American gamers, they adapted the Japanese game Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic and re-branded it as Super Mario Bros 2. Due to this, the game didn’t feel the same as other Mario games. This was the first game in which Luigi was not the same as Mario except with different colors. Mario’s brother was noticeably taller, giving the ability to jump higher than Mario. Mario could run faster though. 14. Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES) – 1988 Regarded as one of the best video games of all time, Super Mario Bros. 3 saw Mario being given a lot of new powers. In addition to the super mushroom and fire flower power ups, it introduced the raccoon suit for flying, frog suit for swimming and hammer suit for throwing hammers. A similar suit to the raccoon suit was the tanooki suit. It also allowed Mario and Luigi to fly, however they could also turn themselves into stone to avoid being seen by enemies. 15.

Super Mario Land (Gameboy) – 1989 Mario’s first adventure on the Gameboy was based on the original Super Mario Bros that was released 4 years before. Whilst it shares the same style and Mario uses the same power ups etc, all of the levels are completely different. 16. Super Mario World (Super Nes) – 1990 Super Mario World was the fourth title in the Super Mario Bros series. Mario had mainly appeared in NES games for the several years previous to this release and he looked much better in the new Super NES system. Colors were brighter, bolder and more defined. The game featured a feather power up that allowed Mario to fly. It worked in a similar way to the raccoon suit in Super Mario Bros 3 however the cape allowed Mario to fly up and down and then make a crash landing. The game also introduced Mario’s friend Yoshi, a friendly dinosaur that could eat berries and shoot out flames. 17. Dr. Mario (NES) – 1990 Dr. Mario was a popular Tetris like puzzle game that featured Mario dropping medicine down to eliminate viruses. Despite the game being named after him, Mario was only represented at the side of the game as a Doctor. 18.

NES Open Tournament Golf (NES) – 1991 Mario looked a lot better when he returned for his second golf game for the NES. Luigi could be chosen as a second character and Princess Peach and Princess Daisy were used as caddies. The game also featured a cameo appearance by Donkey Kong . Photo Credit 19. Yoshi (NES) – 1991 Graphically similar to Dr. Mario, Yoshi was a puzzle game that featured lots of common Mario enemies. Mario was controlled by the player and could switch around to ensure the enemies fall into the correct places. 20. Super Mario Kart (Super NES) – 1992 Another Mario game that is regarded by many as one of the best console games of all time. Super Mario Kart featured lots of characters from the Mario world such as Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong Jr and Bowser. Each character had different strengths and weaknesses for driving and players that weren’t controlled by humans had their own special powers e.g. Donkey Kong Jr threw bananas. 21. Mario Paint (Super Nes) – 1992 Mario Paint was an interesting game that came packaged with the SNES mouse.

The game allowed you to create drawings and music within the game and save it for later. Mario appeared throughout the game in a variety of ways. For example, in the music generator he would jump along on top of the beats. Photo Credit 22. Mario is Missing! (Super NES) – 1992 As the game title suggests, Mario is missing, therefore his brother Luigi took centre stage in this educational game. The game bears a striking resemblance to the graphics used in Super Mario World. 23. Super Mario All-Stars (Super NES) – 1993 Also known as Super Mario Collection, Super Mario All-Stars contained Super Mario Bros 1, 2 and 3. The original Super Mario Bros 2 that was only released in Japan was included as well and was referred to as ‘Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels ‘. A later version of the game also included Super Mario World. All of the games had been visually enhanced to take advantage of the 16 bit graphics the Super Nes offered. Other than that, the games were identical to the original NES equivalents. 24.

Mario & Wario (Super NES) – 1993 The 1993 side scrolling game Mario & Wario was only released in Japan. Users had to take Mario through each level avoiding obstacles using the SNES mouse accessory. Photo Credit 25. Hotel Mario (CD-i) – 1994 Another Mario themed puzzle game that has the unfortunate tag of one of the worst Mario games ever released. The cut scenes featuring Mario and Luigi used full motion video. 26. Donkey Kong (Gameboy) – 1994 The first game to be designed with the SNES Super Game Boy peripheral, it is perhaps surprising that one of Nintendo’s flagship games was not released until 5 years after the Gameboy was first launched. The player had to guide Mario through a whopping 101 levels in order to save Pauline from Donkey Kong. The game play is very similar to the original Donkey Kong games released in the arcades. Photo Credit 27. Mario’s Tennis (Virtual Boy) – 1995 The Nintendo Virtual Boy was available in the shops for less than 6 months in North America.

Mario was the star of 4 of the 22 games that were released for the system worldwide. Mario’s Tennis was the game that came packaged with the system so is probably the most recognizable to gamers. 28. Mario Excite Bike (Satellaview) – 1995 Mario Excite Bike was a remake of the original NES game released over 10 years before. All human players had been replaced by Mario and his friends. The graphics had been improved considerably too to work with the SNES modem add on Satellaview. Photo Credit 29. Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64) – 1996 Super Mario 64 was a huge evolution for Mario, platformers and gaming in general. The game was set in a 3D environment, which was a huge leap forward as most other consoles on the market at that point were still 2D. Players had much more control over what Mario could do and were not simply limited to running and jumping. Using the Nintendo 64’s analogue controller, players could now walk, run, crouch, creep, swim, crawl, climb and more. He could also do double and triple jumps and jump off walls.

Not only that, Mario could talk! It was, in essence, a re-imagining of Mario and what he could do. 30. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (Super Nintendo) – 1996 The Super NES had a fine collection of role playing games, the most recognizable probably being The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Super Mario RPG was the last Mario game developed for the SNES. It was developed by RPG veterans Square, who had already released SNES classics such as Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VI, Breath of Fire and Secret of Mana. The game shared a lot of similarities to other Square RPG’s though Mario himself looked more like the Mario from Super Mario 64 than any SNES game with Mario in it. It was the first ever Mario role playing game and the graphics, game play and humour ensured it got great reviews. 31. Mario Party (Nintendo 64) – 1998 Mario Party was the first Mario party game released by Nintendo. It was a fairly boring one player game but quite fun in multi-player modes. In total Mario Party had 56 mini games.

Mario and his friends looked very similar to how they looked in Super Mario 64. The latest game to be released in the series was Mario Party 9, which was released for the Wii in 2012. 32. Mario Golf (Nintendo 64) – 1999 Mario grabbed his golf clubs again for Mario Golf in 1999. It was a very simple game to play and included lots of fun mini games such as speed golf and mini golf. Baby Mario and Metal Mario could also be selected as playable characters. 33. Paper Mario (Nintendo 64) – 2000 What was originally developed as Super Mario RPG 2 was eventually released as Paper Mario. The RPG was well received but was criticized for being too easy. Mario looked much younger in this serious of games compared to his other appearances. 34. Mario Tennis (Nintendo 64) – 2000 In Nintendo’s 1984 Tennis game for the NES, Mario was the referee. It wasn’t until 2000 that he got to star in a tennis game of his own. Mario Tennis proved to be a popular game with video game fans.

Easy to pick up and play but enough advanced controls to keep things interesting for more experienced players. Like many Nintendo 64 games, the game took advantage of the systems 4 built-in controller ports. 35. Super Smash Bros. Melee (Gamecube) – 2001 The sequel to the Nintendo 64’s Super Smash Bros became the best selling game on the Nintendo Gamecube (closely followed by Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and Super Mario Sunshine!). The game can be best described as multi-player fighting mayhem. With a choice of 26 characters, 4 players could battle it out in a free for all. To KO an opponent you had to knock out them off the screen. This became progressively easier to do as enemies took more damage. 36. Mario Kart: Super Circuit (Gameboy Advance) – 2001 Mario Kart: Super Circuit was a highly anticipated game and was well received by gamers. It was the first Mario Kart released on a hand held device. 20 new tracks were included and 20 from the original Super Mart Kart that was released on the SNES. The actual game played more like Mario Kart 64 than the original game though. 37.

Super Mario Sunshine (Gamecube) – 2002 Super Mario Sunshine wasn’t available when the Gamecube launched though this didn’t stop it from being one of the best selling titles for the system. Like Super Mario 64, the game was set in a 3D environment. Mario has lots of new abilities, the most popular being FLUDD, a backpack that was strapped to Mario that allowed him to squirt enemies with water. New characters were also introduced such as Bowser Jr and Toadsworth. 38. Mario Kart: Double Dash (Gamecube) – 2003 The first Mario Kart on a console in 7 years had a lot to deliver. Whilst it wasn’t perfect, it was certainly a fun game, particularly in multiplayer. The big difference in this game to others in the series is the ability to use two players on a kart: one drives whilst the other holds on to the back. Players can switch between the two characters at any time. 39. Mario Kart DS (Nintendo DS) – 2005 The next Mario Kart to be released was Mario Kart DS for the Nintendo DS.

The game took advantage of the handheld’s dual screen by showing the main game in the top screen and the map and ranking at the bottom. Players could also pit themselves against others online. 40. Super Mario Strikers (Gamecube) – 2005 Super Mario Strikers was Mario’s first football (soccer) game. It was an arcade style five-a-side game that allowed players to use power ups such as bananas and red shells against their opponent. 41. New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo DS) – 2006 4 years after the release of Super Mario Sunshine, Mario returned in his own platform game. The game left behind the 3D world and returned Mario to his 2D side scrolling roots. It stayed true to the original games and brought in lots of new features too. New power ups included a blue shell that lets Mario withdraw into a shell to protect himself from enemies, a mega mushroom that makes Mario huge for a set period of time and a mini mushroom that lets Mario run across water and enter pipes that normal Mario can’t enter. New Super Mario Bros was a huge success. It sold over 26 million copies and as a result became the best selling Nintendo DS game of all time.

Photo Credit 42. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) – 2007 Super Mario Galaxy was the next in the main series of Mario games after Super Mario Sunshine. In the game, Mario had to collect Power Stars from different planets. Once again, Nintendo had developed a classic which is regarded by many as one of the best video games of all time. Playing the game was a little different from other Mario games due to the game using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. This added a new dynamic to playing a Mario game. It also included a co-operative gaming mode for two players. 43. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii) – 2007 No one would have thought 20 years ago that Mario’s main platform gaming rival, Sonic the Hedgehog, would one day be headlining games with him. 24 sporting events were featured in the game including rowing, archery, athletics, gymnastics and more. 44. Mario Kart Wii (Wii) – 2008 Nintendo took full advantage of the Wii’s capabilities when it released Mario Kart for the system. The game came packaged with the Wii Wheel accessory which allowed players to play the game using a steering wheel.

This added a huge new dynamic to the game and a lot more fun to play. The game also had fantastic online features which allowed players to easily play people from around the world. 45. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii) – 2009 The success of New Super Mario Bros on the DS in 2006 was no doubt the driving force behind them releasing a console version. It proved to be hugely successful as well, and was one of the best selling Wii games released. The Wii version has different levels from its handheld counterpart and 4 players can play at the same time. 46. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii) – 2010 More of a case of evolution than revolution, Super Mario Galaxy 2 looks like it’s predecessor visually though it is widely regarded as a better game. 47. Mario Sports Mix (Wii) – 2010 Nintendo continued with their Mario sports games with Mario Sports Mix. Sports include basketball, volleyball, dodgeball and hockey. Unfortunately, the game wasn’t well received. 48. Mario vs.

Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem (Nintendo DS) – 2010 A fun puzzle game in which the player has to guide toy Mario’s to the exit. Photo Credit 49. Super Mario 3D Land (Nintendo 3DS) – 2011 Super Mario 3D Land is an interesting game that includes elements of 2D and 3D platforming. It includes lots of features from other games such as the power leaf from Super Mario Bros 3. It has earned the accolade of being the fastest selling Mario handheld game in history. 50. Mario Tennis Open (Nintendo 3DS) – 2012 Mario’s latest tennis game was released for the Nintendo 3DS this year. It received mixed reviews though it does have some cool features such as multiplayer support for up to 4 players over a Wi-Fi connection. Coming Soon: New Super Mario Bros. U (Wii U) – 2012 or 2013 The sequel to New Super Mario Bros Wii is set to become the main launch game for Nintendo’s upcoming new system Wii U. It will work with the Wii Remote and with the new gamepad.

The trailers that have been released so far suggest it’s going to be another classic. Still Evolving Mario has come along way from his humble beginnings as a bit part in someone else’s game. He changed a lot over the first 15 years of his life though his general appearance hasn’t changed much since Super Mario 64 (except for general improvements in graphics). It could be easy to look at Mario as the Krusty The Clown of gaming due to the number of games he has been attached to, though that’s not a fair representation. Mario has been the best selling gaming franchise for a reason. Not every Mario game has been a classic though generally speaking Mario themed games always get good reviews. Whilst Mario has branched out into sports games, party games, RPG’s and more, he is still primarily known for his platform games. The main series of games have been at the forefront of gaming since the original Super Mario Bros was released on the NES in 1985. Every one since then has been widely acclaimed by critics and players and most were the best selling games on the consoles they were released for (though this was sometimes due to the game being bundled with the console).

With the release of New Super Mario Bros U next year, this trend is sure to continue. What are your favorite Mario appearances or games in the series? Leave us your thoughts in the comment section . (rb)

Question: What is the occupation of the video game character 'Super Mario'?
Answer: PLUMBER